Ratpacks!

I recently found this photo of an South African Defence Force rat pack from the 1980's. It bought back a few memories. There is one thing that I actually miss and that is the Rum and Raisin energy bars. I had a few other rum and raisin energy bars after I left the army but it was just not the same.

A rat pack or rations pack is a self-contained, individual field ration in lightweight packaging provided for service-members for use in combat or other field conditions where organized food facilities are not available. Also known as MRE's ( Meal, Ready-to-Eat ) or IMP ( Individual Meal Pack )

A few other examples of rat packs below ( click on photos for bigger view ) Please note that some of the rat packs is or was meant for a 24 hour period ( ours for eg. ) while others is provided for one meal (eg. US MRE ) :

The new UK Army rations packs:

French combat rations:

Canadian rations pack:

Irish Army rations pack:

Chinese Military rations ( more photos here )

US MRE:

The United States Army also have a First Strike Ration. It is a compact, eat-on-the move ration concept, designed to be consumed during the first 72 hours of conflict. ( More info here )